Grapevine Fall
Location: Welch, West Virginia Date: April 16, 1991 Story On April 16th, 1991 in Welch, West Virginia, 17-year-old Donnie Trent and his friends, including Ricky Riggs, skipped school to go and swing on the grapevines out in the woods. "All over the woods, there's big vines stashed in trees. All you have to do is to cut the bottom loose and you can swing down on them. It's been going on around here for a long time," Ricky stated. Along with some other friends, they swung on a large vine that is on the steep ravine. "If that vine broke and somebody fell off, there's no way they would live through it," Ricky recalled. After a friend got back from swinging on a grapevine, Donnie grabbed it and swung on it. When it got to the highest point where it would stop and return, it broke loose and Donnie fell 60 feet into the ravine. He rolled down on the ravine until he stopped. Ricky and another friend went to him while the others went back to their school to get help. Ricky and the friend looked at Donnie and see that he was somewhat moving. Then they saw bones sticking out at the bottom of his ankles. Ricky took his shirt, wrapped it around Donnie's hand, and told him to squeeze onto it to hold it there. They were afraid to move him because he could have back and neck injuries. "We were so far back in the woods. All I can think about doing is to keep him calm until help got there," Ricky stated. While waiting for help, Donnie was bleeding from his ankles and his head was starting to swell. As their friend went to see if they could help there faster, Ricky stayed with Donnie. He kept saying he was felling sleepy, but Ricky told him to stay awake because he knew if people with injuries fall asleep, they may not wake up. Some people, including the school's athletic trainer, Ed Evans, arrived to the ravine. As Evans tried to assessed Donnie's condition, he noticed that his feet were so mangled that only a small potion of his Achilles tendons and some muscles of a inch was holding them on. He discovered that Donnie kept some much, his blood pressure was low. "I'm not a paramedic. I'm a first aider. I treated football fields with many injuries, but nothing said to me that this kid could die in front of you," Evans stated. Despite risks of Donnie being paralyzed from the waist down, Evans decided to get him out of the ravine with the backboard they brought with them before he bled to death. Once they got him on it, they lifted him up. It was difficult to go up to steep him and everyone had to hold to trees, small saplings, and whatever they can grab to get him and themselves up the hill. He was screaming and howling in pain all the way up. Within 30 minutes of Donnie's accident, rescue units from the McDowell County Ambulance Authority arrived. Once Evans and the others were moving Donnie towards the school, Battalion Chief Douglas Klein arrived and took charge. After seeing the extent of Donnie's injuries, he radioed for a HealthNet helicopter. As the other rescuers arrived, Klein put the anti-shock trouser suit on to control the bleeding. "The fractures are the worst I've ever seen in 11 years of service. It frightened me that with the wrong move and the wrong touch, we can actually pull his foot off of his leg," Klein recalled. Knowing that they were fighting against time and about a mile back into the woods, they began moving Donnie out of there. It was a long, slow process because they had to keep him from moving. As the HealthNet helicopter waited for them, Donnie's father, Raymond Trent, was notified that his son had been in the accident. He initially thought it was a broken leg, but when he saw the paramedics covered with blood, he realized it was bad. After Donnie was loaded up in the ambulance to be taken to the helicopter, Raymond went with them and saw the condition that his son was in. As the ambulance drove, Donnie howled in pain every time it hit bumps. Raymond told his son he was here and Donnie told him that he loved him and to tell his mother he loved her too. Raymond notified his wife about the accident and told her about the extent of Donnie's injuries. "All I can think of was to tell her the truth. You know, prepare her," Raymond recalled. Donnie was airlifted to the trauma unit of Charleston Area Medical Center 70 miles away where orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michael Fidler examined him. He discovered that the broken bones were laying open in the air and there was a lot of dirt and debris on them. He found out that Donnie had a head injury that caused a small blood clot on his brain. "Surgery for Donnie had its increased risks because of his head injury. But this is the risk that had to be taken because there was no doubt that he would certainly lose both of his feet if we did not proceed with haste," Dr. Fidler recalled. It took Donnie's parents two and a half hours to drive to the hospital and Dr. Fidler told them about their son's condition. He told that if they had to save Donnie's feet, they had to make a decision. He also told them that they would do the best they could, but the outcome was uncertain. Donnie underwent delicate surgery to repair his feet. After a grueling physical therapy, he returned home. A year later, Donnie has since almost completely recovered from the incident. His recovery amazes his parents. "Today, I look at my son and see him walk down the road. He's doing things I never thought a year thought he'd be able to do," Donnie's mother said. Donnie admitted that he's lucky to live through the fall. He praises Evans, the paramedics, and the trauma unit for saving his life. "Knowing he's alive and okay makes me feel great. It also keeps me away from swinging on grapevines or anything stupid," Ricky stated. "Ricky calmed me down. He'd stick around. He talked and...he's a good fellow." Donnie stated. "All I say that we're friends. Friends around here stick together, especially from an incident like that," Ricky stated. Category:1991 Category:West Virginia Category:Falls